Links are embedded in the background of YouTube videos using the site's built-in Annotations feature. These links can be used to point visitors to your YouTube channel, other related videos or a fundraising website. Be careful to use embedded links sparingly, as too many annotations can distract from the content itself and put off viewers.

The Annotations Editor

To open the Annotations Editor for a particular clip, open your Video Channel page using the navigation bar on the YouTube site. Each of your uploaded movies has a drop-down menu by it — choose "Annotations" from this menu to open the editor. Below the video clip itself is a timeline that you can use to position your annotations and jump to specific points in the video. Use the zoom controls to get a closer look at particular parts of the timeline.

Adding and Editing Annotations

Click the "Add Annotation" button to insert an annotation at the current point in the timeline. Six different types of annotations are available, and four offer the option of including a link — Speech bubble, Note, Spotlight and Label. Use the fields that appear underneath to set the properties of the annotation. Check the box marked "Link" and enter the relevant URL. If you choose to link to your Google+ profile page, the URL is automatically entered for you.

Examples of Use

You can link to any YouTube video, playlist or channel using the annotations feature. You can also link to your Google+ profile page or set up a subscription link for any channel. The only permitted external links are to fundraising sites: Kickstarter, Rockethub, Causes, Donorschoose, Change.org and Indiegogo are currently supported. Embedded links are typically used to point visitors to other related videos they might enjoy, or the author's YouTube channel showcasing similar work. They can also be employed to link to several videos in a series.

Tips for Adding Annotations

While annotations can be useful to a viewer, they can also be distracting and off-putting. When adding annotations, make sure they add value to the existing content. Use font sizes and colors that fit in with the existing clip and don't obscure the content on screen or distract the viewer from something important. Keep annotations near the borders of the video window and use as few as possible, making sure they are always relevant. Using the Spotlight annotation type is an effective way of creating a clickable hot spot on a video that doesn't distract the viewer as much as a Speech bubble or Note annotation.

Resources

About the Author

An information technology journalist since 2002, David Nield writes about the Web, technology, hardware and software. He is an experienced editor, proofreader and copywriter for online publications such as CNET, TechRadar and Gizmodo. Nield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and lives in Manchester, England.